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Gorgons
|rarity = Rare |casting_cost = |upkeep_cost = per turn |research_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = +20% To Hit Stoning Gaze -2 }} Gorgons are a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. Gorgons belong to the Realm, and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. These creatures are exceptionally deadly in combat. Although their Melee Attack is on par with mid/high-tier Normal Units, they are particularly adept at Petrifying their enemies, destroying them before any retaliation can occur. The Fantastic Unit Physical Description A Gorgon is essentially a large bull with two great wings growing out of its back. The creature is entirely brass-colored. The name "Gorgon" is borrowed from Greek mythology, where it is the name of a creature more commonly referred to in today's fantasy fiction as a "Medusa" - after one particular individual who famously could turn people into stone with her gaze. Though what this is probably supposed to be is the monster of the same name which was a bull covered in metal plates whose breath could turn people to stone. The Gorgons unit is a , containing up to 4 of these creatures. Attack Properties Gorgons rely on both their strong and deadly Stoning Gaze. In Melee, each Gorgon strikes with a strength of , and has a bonus. This gives them an average output of points per Gorgon - a very significant amount for individual ! Even before this powerful attack can occur, the Gorgons will use their Gaze Attack to attempt to turn the whole or a part of the enemy unit to stone. Each target must succeed a Resistance roll at a penalty of , or be destroyed immediately. Only units with high Resistance will survive this - and those that do are then subjected to the Melee Attack described above. Defensive Properties Gorgons also present a formidable defense. Their Defense attribute is set at by default, meaning that each is very hardy even on its own. With per , the entire unit can take points of before being destroyed. A Resistance score of also ensures that Gorgons are rarely subjected to Unit Curses or other combat maledictions, though it is not high enough to prevent such effects entirely. Other Properties Gorgons possess an additional important quality, since they can at a rate of . This allows them to flank the enemy lines entirely to get to the weaker units at the rear, and to avoid any dangerous enemy units that cannot themselves. Basic Tactics In combat, Gorgons will effortlessly rip apart enemy Normal Units, especially low- and mid-tier ones. The Stoning Gaze will decimate such units even before they get a chance to deal any Melee Damage to the Gorgons. Stronger units, especially ones with imperfect Resistance (less than ) also stand at least some chance of being petrified and destroyed by the Gorgons, regardless of how powerful or tough they are. Enemy Gorgons Gorgons are fairly rare as neutral monsters, but will occasionally appear in mid/high-level encounters like Towers of Wizardry and some . Even a single unit of Gorgons can pose a danger to pretty much any unit - except perhaps those with Stoning Immunity, Magic Immunity, or very high Defense and Resistance scores. Normal Units and melee-weak units in general should try to stay as far away from Gorgons as possible. It is often best to engage these creatures with heavy Ranged Attack units, who can shoot the Gorgons out of the sky before they can do too much . Only very-well-equipped or highly-experienced Heroes tend to do well against them in close quarters. Ability Overview +20% To Hit * This unit has an extra to hit its target with every die of its Attack Rolls. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more with each attack it makes. Stoning Gaze -2 * Whenever this unit makes a or Counter Attack against an enemy target, it first delivers a Stoning Damage Gaze Attack. * Each in the target unit must Resist at a penalty of or be destroyed immediately. * This attack takes place before Melee Damage is dealt by either unit. However, it occurs after Breath Attacks and Thrown Attacks (if any). * This ability allows the Gorgons to initiate Melee Attacks against units even if . * This effect does nothing against targets possessing the Stoning Immunity ability. * The effect is delivered alongside an otherwise hidden short-range attack with an Attack Strength of . As a result, magic that reduces ranged Attack Strength may disable it completely. The Summoning Spell Usage Gorgons may only be cast overland, for the base Casting Cost of . Upon successfully casting the spell, the new Gorgons unit will appear in the Town currently containing the Wizard's Summoning Circle, with full Movement Allowance, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary. To keep the Gorgons in play, its controller is required to pay an Upkeep Cost of per turn. This is drawn automatically from the caster's pool at the beginning of each turn while the unit exists. Failure to pay this Upkeep due to lack of will lead to the Gorgons immediately disappearing, along with any Unit Enchantments currently affecting it. However, this upkeep is for the unit, not for the spell: Summoning Spells can not be dispelled by the enemy once cast. Naturally though, if the unit is destroyed, then it is gone from the world entirely, and there is no further need to pay its Upkeep Cost. Units summoned on the overland map may also be dismissed manually from their unit statistics window the same way as any other overland unit (during their controller's turn, while not in combat). Acquisition As a Rare Spell of the Realm, Gorgons may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Spellbooks. With any less, the spell can not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. The base chance for Gorgons to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 10% (with books), which gradually increases with the amount of Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of , although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, Conjurer, and/or Nature Mastery Retorts; or a bookshelf containing or more. Gorgons may also be selected as a starting spell by players who allocate all of of their picks into books when creating their Wizard. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins. Known Bugs It may happen that the Gorgons lose the ability to use their Stoning Gaze, if the opponent uses the spells or . Although this is not a bug with the Gorgons themselves, they may be affected by it nonetheless. It happens because Gaze Attacks are delivered as "added effects" to a Conventional Damage attack, much like Special Damage Touch Attacks. Except in this case, this attack is hidden from the player. In terms of implementation, this means that the Gorgons actually have a Ranged Attack Strength of which, if reduced to zero, will no longer allow performing the Gaze effect. Unfortunately, since this attribute is not displayed in the unit statistics window, or mentioned anywhere in the game documentation, it may seem that the Gorgons are "bugged", when in fact they are not. Regardless though, this mechanic is removed entirely in the Unofficial Patch 1.50, which allows the execution of "added effects" even when the Conventional Attack Strength is zero. Category:Units Category:Fantastic Creatures Category:Nature